Bottleholder



Sept. 19, 1950 D. M. SUICH 2,522,647

BOTTLEHOLDER Filed Feb. 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 0. M. SUICH,

Sept. 19, 1950 D. M. SUICH 2,522,647

BOTTLEHOLDER Filed Feb. 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR.

D. M. SUICH,

Attorneys,

Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLEHOLDER Claims.

This invention relates to baby nursing bottle holders, and particularly to improvements in baby bottle holders of the type described in my copending application, Serial No. 680,020, filed June 28, 1946, now Patent No. 2,475,923.

I have shown in that co-pending application a baby bottle holder comprising a pillow member having a base and an inclined upper forward surface, and a bottle gripping means secured to the pillow member and adapted to position the mouth of the bottle above the inclined surface. When the device is in use, the babys cheek engages the inclined upper surface of the pillow member, and the arrangement is such that the bottle is inclined at the desired angle toward the babys mouth.

In such a device, the angle of inclination of the upper surface of the pillow, and that of the bottle, are very important, since it is desirable that, when the babys cheek rests against and is supported by the inclined upper surface of the pillow, the mouth or nipple of the bottle be so positioned that the baby can reach it with relatively little effort. For this reason, I have found that it is very advantageous to provide in such baby bottle holders means by which the angle of inclination of the upper surface of the pillow can be modified or adjusted by the mother to suit the needs of the baby using the holder. The present invention provides such adjusting means.

The present invention also provides, in a baby bottle holder of the type described in my copending application, an improved pillow-like structure such that no unusual skill is required to adjust the angle of the inclined upper surface.

The means whereby the above features are provided are set forth in the following specification, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of the bottle holder with an extensible gusset member not in use;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the holder of Fig. 1, with the gusset member in operative position so that the rear portion of the inclined upper surface of the pillow is elevated and adjusted to an angle different from that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical section taken on line l-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing snap fastener securing means for securing the sole to the upper;

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a removable gusset element secured in operative position by such fasteners;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line l--'l of Fig. l, with the filling material of the pillow member removed;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one form of gusset strip capable of use in the device; and

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention.

Baby bottle holders of the type in which the present invention is an improvement comprise, as shown in Fig. 1, a pillow member I having a base 2, side walls 3 and an inclined upper forward surface l. This pillow member I may be made with a casing of water-proof fabric, flexible synthetic material, or other suitable flexible sheet material, the casing being stuffed with any desired filling material 5, Fig. 3, which will lend.

desired degree of softness to the pillow. Bottle gripping or clamping means 6 is secured in any suitable manner to the pillow member and is adapted to hold a bottle 1 in such a manner as to position the mouth or nipple above the inclined upper surface 4 of the pillow member. It will be seen from the side elevations that the specific form of the pillow member illustrated simulates a shoe, but it is to be understood that pillow members of this type may be of various shapes, it only being necessary that the pillow member, being generally wedge-shaped, have an inclined upper surface and a generally flat base, ordinarily horizontally disposed. It is desirable that a flexible apron 8 be provided, attached to the forward edge of the pillow member and extending laterally away from the pillow member. As fully described in said co-pending application, this apron, in use, is positioned beneath the babys head and serves to anchor the pillow member against slipping.

When such a bottle holder is in use, the babys cheek rests against the inclined surface 4, and

the babys mouth is thus positioned relative to the mouth or nipple of bottle 1. It will be understood that, for best results, the angle of the inclined upper surface l must be properly adjusted to suit the size and shape of the head of the baby for which the device is intended.

One means by which such adjustment can be made is illustrated in Figs. 1 through 4. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that each side wall 3 includes an extension 9 having one edge secured to the main portion of the side wall and to the base 2 by the lacing E0, the other edge of the extension 9 lying within the pillow member. In this arrangement, the device is in its retracted condition. When the side wall extensions 2 are in this position, the upper surface 43 of the pillow member will assume a relatively acute angle with the horizontal, as shown in Fig. 1, assuming, of course, that the pillow is properly stuffed with filling material.

As best illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, side wall extensions 9 are generally triangular in shape, and are provided with one or more additional sets of lacing holes ll. When it is desired to change the angle of inclination of upper surface 4 to a more obtuse angle, the lacing IE1 is removed. The side wall and its extension are relaced, as shown at l2, Figs. 2 and 3. An additional quantity of filling material is now added to the pillow. The remaining edge of each side wall extension 9 is now laced through holes II to the base 2, as shown at 13, Fig. 2. As a result of this operation, since the side'wall'extensions 9 are generally triangular in shape, they act as gussets and the angle of inclination of uppersurface 4 is made more obtuse, as illustrated in Eigi' 2.

It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that each side wall extension!) may be a. piece of materiaLseparateifrom the main side wall 3, as illustrated, or maybe .continuous with side wall 3. It-will be. further :understood that the side wall extensions may be separate pieces of flexible sheet materiaL or may be part-of a single piece oi -flexiblesheetnmaterial. For example, Fig..=8 illustrates-asingle: piece .of sheet material l S'incIuding both side wall extensions 9 and a central portion 16 to be located at the back of the pillow member when the device is assembled in the manner shown in-Figs. land-.2.

In place-of the lacings, a plurality of snap fasteners l4: may be used, as shown in Figs.

and 6, these fasteners being of any suitable type andbeing spaced. closely along the edges to be joined. When used as shown in Fig. 5, the gusset element' fl may be stored separately or it may be used as part of the stifling for the article shown in Fig. 5. Fig.6 showsthe removable gusset element in the assembled expanded position.

In -the embodiment of the invention illustrated in-Fig. 9, the. pillow-member comprises an. upper section Hand a lower wedge-shaped section IS, the top-of thelower section being secured to the base ofthe upper section by means ofsnap fasteners l4,-or by other suitable separable fastening means. With this structure, upper section I! canbe used alone, resting on base 2 and presenting the upper surface 4at a relatively acute angle to the horizontal. When a more obtuse angle is required, lower section-Nils added, and the device-rests-upon Ibase 2.

I-claimz 1. A baby bottle holder comprising a pillow member having-a base and an inclined upper forward portion to'supportthe cheek of a baby, bottle gripping :means secured to said pillow member-and adapted to position the mouthofa bottle .to be selectively included in and removed from said side walls to adjust the angle between said base'and upper surfaces.

3. A babyv bottle holder comprising a pillow member having a base, a forwardly inclined top member and generally triangular side walls of flexible material connecting said base and said topmember, and bottle gripping means secured to said pillow member and adapted to position the mouth of a bottle above said inclined-top member, said side walls each [being removably secured along one line to. said base and extending beyond said line into the interior of said pillow member, whereby said. side walls may be disconnected from said base and re-secured thereto along other lines to adjust the angle between said base and said inclined top member.

4. A baby bottle holder comprising a pillow member having a base, an inclined upper. forward portion and triangular side walls connecting: said base and said inclined upper forward portion, and bottlegripping means secured to said'pillow'member and adapted to position the mouth of abottle albove said inclined upper forward portion,v said side walls being detachably secured to said'base along a line and being provided at that linewith generally triangular extensions lying within said pillow member.

5. In a baby: bottleholder of the type comprising a pillow member having a base andaan inclined upper forward portion, and: bottle gripping -means adapted to position the'mouth. of. a bottle above said inclined portion, the combination'ofa wedge-shaped extension for said pillow member and fastening means for detachably securing the upper surface of said extension to thebase of said pillow member.

DOROTHY MARY: SIJICH.

REFERENES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 2,397,059 Swank Mar. 19, 1946 2,399,389 Riggs 'Apr. 30, 1946 2,451,718 Suich Oct. 19, 1948 2,475,923 Corrao July 12,1949 

